For many years, children with developmental problems, sensory disorders, brain dysfunction and complex disorders have remained at the margins of the Ukrainian secondary education system or have been totally excluded from it. Labeled “unable to learn and take care of themselves,” they are put in custody of the welfare system. This creates artificial isolation leading to a decrease in social competence and flaws in the social adaptation of such children.
Certain categories of children in Ukraine do not have access to quality education. In 2004, 1.8% of all children in Ukraine were registered as having disabilities. The Ukrainian Ministry of Education and Science reports that during the 2005–2006 academic years 54,100 children with special education needs received education in 396 special schools. According to the data of the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy in 2004, 7,716 children with special educational needs lived and studied in 56 boarding schools. The available data are inconsistent, making it difficult to put together a complete picture of the number of students with disabilities and their place of study.
The International Renaissance Foundation's Education Program has been carrying out the project “Disabled Children’s Rights to Quality Education” with partner support from the All-Ukrainian Step by Step Foundation during 2005–2006. The aim of the project is to change national educational policy in order to provide equal access to quality education to children with special needs. During implementation the project team conducted the needs assessment “Disabled Childrens Rights to Quality Education: Analysis of the Situation in Ukraine,” and Prof. Dr. Yvonne Csányi prepared the overview "Experience of Transforming Education Provision for Children with Disabilities in Central European Countries,” which contains policy recommendations for the government on inclusive education.
The results of the needs assessment and the overview were presented at the international conference “Educational Policy Towards Inclusion: International Experience and Ukrainian Perspectives,” sponsored by OSI's East-East Program.
Representatives of the Ministry of Education and Science, Committee for Science and Education of the Parliament of Ukraine, the Academy of Pedagogical Science of Ukraine, UNDP, nongovernmental organizations, state education institutions and representatives of eight foreign countries (Lithuania, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Moldova, Russia, and Hungary) took part in the conference.
Conference participants discussed policy recommendations for inclusive education in Ukraine and exchanged experiences in practice, development and implementation of inclusive education in their countries.
Participants signed a memorandum containing the following recommendations:
- systemize the collection of statistical data , which would correspond with the international approach to classification
- accept the philosophy of inclusive education at the level of state policy and to fix it in the relevant legislative documents
- develop the concept and the state program of the development of inclusive education, using the recommendations developed in the International Renaissance Foundation project “Rights of Children with Special Needs to Quality Education”
- start reforming the educational system of Ukraine into an inclusive one at all levels of the educational system: preschool, general secondary, vocational, and higher education
- develop the Coordinating Center for the development of Inclusive Education, which would include representatives of the Ukrainian Ministry of Education and Science, Ministry for Health Protection, Ministry of Labor, Ministry of Family and Youth, other civic organizations, and parents of children with special needs
The participants of the international conference declared their readiness to further develop their cooperation at the international level, combining efforts on lobbying for inclusive education at all levels, including governmental and nongovernmental, through:
- information exchange
- participating at international events
- coordination of their actions with international organizations, working in the field of inclusive education
- developing the regional international group on promotion of inclusive education in the region
The full memorandum is available at www.irf.kiev.ua/en/programs/edu/about/?doc:int=2431.
To lobby for the developed recommendations, a series of regional seminars are planned throughout 2006, public relations campaigns will be organized to raise social awareness of the importance of implementing inclusive education in Ukraine and to reach positive attitudes towards this issue.
The Education Support Program provided professional expertise in implementating the project and, particularly, in preparing the needs assessment. ESP also financially supported Yvonne Csanyi's participation in the conference and in the development of the overview.